Turkish Bayraktar drones arrive in Ukraine to aid in the fight against Russia

Ukraine received fresh supplies of the Turkish Bayraktar drones as well as anti-tank weapons to help fight off the Russian invasion.

A number of European countries including Germany, The Netherlands, and Turkey have sent military supplies to Ukraine.

A shipment of Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey has drawn the most attention. These Predator-like aircraft, which are armed with tiny laser-guided missiles, have surprisingly proven to be quite successful in combating Russian forces, despite expectations that they would be easily shot down, reports Forbes.

Arrival of Bayraktar drones confirmed

On Facebook the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated yesterday that:

“New bayraktars have already arrived in Ukraine and are on combat duty.”

In recent days, no new videos confirming the use of the Turkish Bayraktar drones have been released by the Ukrainian military most likely because of security reasons.

The Bayraktar drones have been previously used in strikes on targets such as fuel tankers to stall the Russian invasion.

According to The Times, the Ukrainian military quickly deployed 20 Bayraktar drones after Russia‘s invasion.

The ambassador of Ukraine to Ankara, Vasyl Bodnar, has been sharing photographs of explosions attributed to drones targeting Russian columns and guns with similar sentiments such as: “Bayraktar — Mashallah (Thanks be to God)” and a stream of smiley faces.

“These TB2 strikes are, in comparison to ground combat, relatively small in number, but important for Ukrainian morale precisely because it shows Russia does not control the skies,” Aaron Stein, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said according to the newsoutlet.

According to Forbes, the Forum on the Arms Trade, which has been keeping track of all the promised weapon supplies to Ukraine, compiled the following list:

• Sweden: 5,000 AT4 anti-tank weapons
• Denmark: 2,700 anti-tank weapons
• Norway: 2,000 anti-tank weapons
• United Kingdom: 2,000 NLAW short-range anti-tank missiles
• Finland: 1,500 single-shot anti-tank weapons
• Germany: 1,000 anti-tank weapons
• Netherlands: 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchers
• Belgium: 200 anti-tank weapons
• Estonia: Unspecified number of Javelin anti-tank missiles

It is unclear how many Bayraktar drones might have been supplied by Turkey.

Get your Part 107 Certificate

Pass the test and take to the skies with the Pilot Institute. We have helped thousands of people become airplane and commercial drone pilots. Our courses are designed by industry experts to help you pass FAA tests and achieve your dreams.

FTC: DroneXL.co uses affiliate links that generate income.* We do not sell, share, rent out or spam your email, ever. Our email goes out on weekdays around 5:30 p.m.

Stay in touch!

If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors, and reviews follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or… Subscribe to our Daily Drone News email.*